


Sweet Fate

by The_Shipper_Of_Heart



Series: Sweet Fate [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Blood, Demon AU, Friendship, M/M, Mainly mentions of blood but not super graphic, More characters to be added as well, Mortal/Demon, Romance, Roommates, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-10 04:27:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18652897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Shipper_Of_Heart/pseuds/The_Shipper_Of_Heart
Summary: On his own, John Egbert answers an ad online and moves in with the mysterious Dave Strider, who appears to be the only tenant in an old abandoned apartment building. When John is walking home alone one night, he learns of demons that roam the mortal world, and that there's more to his roommate than he leads on. Demon AU (All trolls mentioned are HumanStuck)





	1. Chapter 1

The city at night was his favorite. The busy lights illuminated the buildings shapes with various windows in the distance giving them a polka-dot design- some windows bright with activity inside, others dark to give off a quiet feeling. The city itself was far from dead silent. The far off sounds of voices mixing with one another, conversation upon conversation made it all a jumbled rumble. The distant sound of sirens echoed as they sped to the rescue, the rumble of the lively vehicles along with their impatient horns, as if they would get them to their destination faster. This world fascinated him. He watched from above as the mortals went about their lives in the streets below. Some were safely nestled in their homes away from the unknown night, others were out and about living it up. Some were lone wolves walking the streets, others traveled in packs or with a significant other. Talking, laughing, enjoying what little stars they could see that weren’t hidden from the city lights. While some mortals slept, others were just getting up in the dark for their jobs. Himself? He was a night owl, much like others of his kind. They certainly couldn’t show themselves in the day. His large black wings were tucked behind him in rest, his horns pointed back as his bangs lightly brushed over his piercing red eyes. The breeze hit him as he took in the cool rush. A couple loose feathers from his wings were carried off in the breeze behind him. While he enjoyed the silence as he spied on the mortal life around him, he couldn’t deny one fact:

He was lonely.

~~~

 

John Egbert looked at the address on his phone as he stood before the large building. “Apartment four, floor 13” He smiled a little “Heh, kinda like my birthday.” He made sure it was the correct building- it was run down and looked like nobody actually lived in there. John checked his messages again. His new roommate had given him instructions last night:

“When you get here, use the side door in the alley. Its safe don’t worry. It’s going to look rundown and nobody lives here...because it is. I’ll explain when you get here”

John gulped. This was probably a really bad idea. Maybe he should’ve seen the place before agreeing to move in. He hoped he didn’t become the next cold case story. He could see the headlines now “Man, 24, Found Brutally Murdered In Abandoned Apartment” “Online Ad Murderer Strikes Again” “Man Goes Into Abandoned Building To Live- What Happens Next Will Shock You”. Even though he had a small fear of this, he felt some sort of trust within his new roommate. It was strange since this would be the first time they met in person, but John felt a sort of faith.

The young man entered the building and made his way up to the room, suitcases in each hand with a box tucked under his arm. The rest of his stuff was in storage as he’d slowly move the rest of it in, if he had the space. For a run down building, it seemed very well kept on the inside and everything seemed to be in working order. He hesitated on using the elevator, but no way was John about to walk up thirteen flights with all he was carrying. Even if he wasn’t carrying anything he wasn’t about to walk up all those stairs, even if it was healthier, not that he really needed it. The elevator worked just fine, similar to the old time ones with just a gate to see all of the floors pass by. Strange, as every building in the area had more modern ones. In fact, this whole building looked like it was from several decades ago with its interior. John figured it would be updated with more modern touches, but the old time look gave him a certain feeling. It was quite charming in a way- the perfect place to explore at night. 

John had never lived on his own before-this was his first time with a roommate, mainly for company and lower living costs. He didn’t know a lot about this guy who he’d soon call his roomate- all he knew was that they were the same age, and that his name was Dave Strider. Of course, they talked for a while before John moved in so they weren’t complete strangers. Dave seemed like a really interesting guy. There were other tidbits of information John knew about him, but he seemed to keep a lot of his life private. John had gotten his information from an ad online.

“Roommate wanted: Share an apartment, split living costs 50/50. VERY Spacious, one room available. Preferably male roommate. Contact D.S. for more information.” John had been the first one to contact him apparently, and the ad was mysteriously gone a while after John contact him, so it must’ve been a good sign. It was odd he used his initials, and he only gave John his name after they talked for a while. Dave also seemed to be a night owl, as he didn’t message in the morning often. But this was a lot better than the other ads he had seen, such as the “Roommate Wanted, free living in exchange for fun” “Roommate Needed For Living Assistance” And a few other strange ones. This was also the only one who was close to John’s age.

He must also be a fan of music, since his username in the listing was “TurntechGodhead”. John’s was “EctoBiologist”, which referenced one of his favorite movies-Ghostbusters. Yeah now that he looked back the 1984 effects were kinda cheesy, the sequel wasn’t as good as the first, and that one they had made with all women could’ve been better, it still held a place in his heart. He remembered when he had first seen it. John was four years old and flipping through channels trying to find cartoons when he heard the theme song and was instantly hooked. His dad worried the movie would give him nightmares with it being about, well, ghosts. He remembered it being a bit frightening even for the PG rating. But, John absolutely loved it with all the adult jokes going over his head and he found the ghosts cool, later finding the cartoon that had been long over with, but he watched it over and over. Even as he got older, he was interested in the supernatural and paranormal. John even had photos of him as a ghostbuster for Halloween,with one year him dressed as Slimer and his dad as Egon Spengler. 

His dad.

John switched over to his messaging app to text his dad that he had made it to the new place. Right away he got a reply:

“Son, I am so proud of you on moving to a new place. I know you will have a great time living with a roommate. I will always be here if you need me”

John couldn’t help but smile. His dad was always telling him how proud he was of him. It got to be irritating sometimes, but he knew that his dad just wanted to know how much John was loved, which of course he never doubted for a second. The night before they had been up most of the night making cakes to celebrate the occasion, even making a couple for Dave. 

“John?”

Egbert snapped out of his thoughts and looked up from his phone, not realizing he had been knocking this whole time as his hand continued to make a knock gesture in the air. The apartment door was open as far as the chain lock would allow. Looking back at him were a pair of aviator shades.

“Uh..yeah. John Egbert. Are you Dave?” Why was he asking that? Of course this would be Dave. He was the only one that lived here. Then again it could be a friend of his. The door closed as the sound of fumbling and rattling could be heard, along with a few curses from Dave, trying to get the door unlocked. The door opened fully and there he stood: Dave Strider. Tall, messy blonde hair, round shades covering his eyes, a long red shirt and..white boxers? John couldn’t help but look, his cheeks burning slightly. “I..didn’t catch you at a bad time did I?” Shit. Maybe he had company over and John had gotten the time wrong.

“Nah man.”Strider yawned. “Just woke me up. Why are you here so early anyway? I thought you were coming at two.”

“It is two.” John said puzzled. He looked at his phone again. 2:23 pm to be exact. He had run a little late saying goodbyes to his dad and trying to get his stuff on the bus. His dad lived across town and John didn’t have a car. A license? Sure. But, everything was so close in the city and the buses were more convenient. Plus, he wasn’t sure how much he trusted street driving or those big parking garages, especially at night.

“Oh.” Dave said, muttering another curse for sleeping so late and not being ready. He stepped aside to let John in. “Your room’s down the hall, second door on the left.” Dave rubbed at his face sleepily, making sure his shades kept in place. He was a very private guy, that was for sure. Not so private about answering the door with no pants on, however. John looked around the apartment. It was a pretty nice set up- Wood floors, A big couch facing a good sized tv with a couple different gaming systems hooked up, one controller for each gaming system on the couch while a couple others sat below the television gathering dust, a nice kitchen with a couple of empty apple juice bottles sitting in a pile in the corner of the counter, and a hall that led to two bedrooms, a bathroom,and what looked to be like an office type room converted into a computer gaming room. It looked more like a penthouse apartment, or possibly a couple of apartments mashed together with walls broken down and a lot of renovation. Surprisingly cheap for all of the space. One thing caught his eye- a couple of black feathers laying about. 

“Hey uhm, what’s with those feathers?”

“Ahh don’t worry about those. Got a bit of a crow problem around here. They are pretty neat and don’t really bother me. Just opening the window, their feathers blow in.”

John nodded as he took his stuff into his room and closed the door. Dave looked at the feathers and sighed. Shit, he thought he had cleaned all of those up. He hoped they wouldn’t be too much of a problem for John. Though he didn’t seem to mind the thought of crows chilling out around the building, he pretty much shrugged it off.

Dave hoped he’d stay.

John set his stuff down in his room and sat on the bed. It was going to be strange living with someone, but he had a feeling Dave and him were going to be really good friends. He seemed like a really cool guy, although pretty strange at times. And John had to admit to himself, Dave was pretty cute...Not that he’d ever loudly admit that. John was 24 and was still trying to figure out just exactly what his sexuality was. He thought girls were cute, but then he also found guys to be cute as well. Well, not all girls and not all guys. He had never really dated anyone before, and Dave was actually the first person he found cute in a while. But, what did this all mean? Thinking about it made Egbert’s head hurt as he sighed, his hand touching the box beside him.

John suddenly remembered what it was and grabbed the box that sat on his bed carefully and went down the hall to where Dave was-slumped back on the couch, looking like he was back to sleep. “Hey Dave.” John said, placing the box down on the table. Dave snorted awake and sat up. “My dad and I made a cake for you, just as a kinda thank you.”

“...This isn’t going to be how you pay rent is it?” Dave looked at the box carefully. This better not be the payment method- confectionaries did not pay the bills.

“What? No no no! See, my dad and I love to bake cakes- my dad more than myself really, but we were making some last night and made one for you.” John smiled as he sat beside Strider.

Dave looked the box over before lifting up the lid, a chocolate frosted cake sat there with neat blue writing on top:

“I am so proud of you for letting my son live with you, Dave. Thank you for opening your home. I know he won’t be any trouble and that you two will become great friends”

Dave blinked. How the hell could someone fit all of that writing onto a cake? Or really...why? He picked up a note that was attached to the lid and it read the same thing. “Thanks.” Dave said, looking over to John. This John was a strange guy indeed. But, it was kind of a nice strange, Dave thought. A little quirky wasn’t so bad.And he had to admit, he was cute- in a dorky kinda way. His square framed glasses, neat black hair, and a slight tannish complexion. There was something else about him.

A certain smell.

He snapped back to reality when he heard a muffle of John’s voice. “Huh? What?” He looked over to John.

“I was just asking about living here. Ya know, you said you would explain.”

“Oh yeah. Yeah, this place has been abandoned for years. Just one of those things where stuff gets run down, people lose interest, that stuff. But, its livable. Water, gas, all that stuff still run.”

“But why? Its abandoned so shouldn’t all that stuff be turned off? Or, make it impossible to get in?”

Dave shrugged. You’d think. But the city doesn’t care as long as somebody pays for it. As for getting in and out, nobody ever tries that door. There’s rumors of people trying but... “ He leaned closer to John. “There’s stories of this place being haunted. Actually one of the reasons it started to get abandoned in the first place”

This immediately sparked John’s interest. “Haunted??? Like ghosts?” He knew packing his ouija board along was the perfect idea.

“Something scarier than ghosts.” Dave gave a small smirk. “They say its-Well, maybe you’ll find out for yourself one day.”

“Oh, come on! You HAVE to tell me”

“Nah. It’s a secret” Dave liked seeing John get excited at the thought of supernatural forces here. He listened as John began to tell him his own stories of seeing ghosts and other odd events. Such a dork, Dave thought.

A cute dork.


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn’t long before John and Dave became great friends It be easy for one to mistake them for childhood friends, despite only having lived together for a couple weeks now. John was very neat and made sure the room was how he entered it (or even better), and he and Dave found they shared a lot of interests, mainly in video gaming. They both were relieved their friendship happened rather quickly, if they hadn’t become friends living together would be just too strange. Dave was especially relieved since it was less likely John would move out now. He liked having somebody around to talk to. John was still curious about Dave, as he seemed quiet most of the time and didn’t seem to smile often,but when he did it always seemed genuine. At first Dave kept to himself, but soon he and John started up a conversation of small talk just to avoid awkward silence, which led to another topic, and another, pretty soon they’d forget what they were talking about originally and realize they had been talking for a couple hours straight. They both also shared a love for pizza, bad movies, and seemed to both know about the supernatural with an interest in the unknown. John was surprised- Dave seemed to know a lot more about it than himself- he had never met someone like Dave. Dave also seemed interested in what John had to say, not thinking his interests were strange at all.

 

“So you’re really into music huh?” John asked, eyeing all of the records hung up, and the music setup within the computer gaming room. He also had heard Dave beatboxing behind the closed doors and making raps. It was silly, but John found that kind of cute that he had such a passion.  
  
“Yeah, ever since the turntable was invented I was like ‘dang, I wanna spin some records on that.’ Ya know?” Dave said, leaning back on the couch. “DJ’d at a club a few times, but the club scene can get pretty intense. You see a lot of shit at night around those areas. You learn quickly why bouncers exist, and you’re glad they’re around.”

  
“Huh? What do you mean since they were invented? Aren’t they from like..the 30’s?” John asked, propping himself up on the couch, holding himself up with his hands behind him. He was more into classical instruments, his favorite being the piano, but music overall interested him. He had been studying turntables the other night so he’d have some knowledge about it in case it was ever brought up with Dave. He didn’t want him to think he was uncool. 

 

“Oh I uh, meant when I first  _ saw _ one.  I forget that they're actually really old” Dave stammered nervously.  “I was thinking of the really modern ones I guess.”

  
“Oh right right, gotcha!”

  
  
Dave let out a small sigh of relief internally. That was close.

 

“So” John asked, “have you ever explored this place at night?” He picked up his camcorder. “The atmosphere of the building would be perfect to hunt for ghosts. I’m sure this place has at least one.” Dave smiled as John rambled on about ghosts, night vision settings, ouija boards, the works. John’s passions and interests gave Dave a strange feeling, like a flutter in his heart. He also couldn’t help but to look at John’s eyes. A piercing blue that shined behind his glasses, making Dave’s heart beat faster. Dave gave a soft smile at the boy sitting across from him getting more and more expressive and excited. Dave caught a whiff of his scent. So sweet, so mouth-watering, so-

 

“Dave…? Dave..?” John’s voice muffled in his thoughts. Strider snapped back to attention.

 

“Oh oops, sorry man...I zoned out. Sure, we can explore this place at night some time. See all the spooky things.” Dave smiled at John’s excitement. “This place can get pretty spooky at night.”

 

“Are you ever going to tell me what it is that people have seen here?”

 

“Not yet.”

  
“OH COME ON!”

                                                                                                                     ~~~

“Wait! Wait I’m here!” John yelled as he ran after the bus, being met with a puff of exhaust as the bus rumbled down the street. John coughed as he waved the dust away and sighed. Damn, that was the last bus of the night. No way was he going to catch up to it. He pulled out his phone and opened his maps, typing out the apartment’s address. Wasn’t too far of a walk, he could make it. John was a little worried walking around the city at night- it would scare anyone. He knew he’d be just fine, keeping his phone nearby just in case he needed to call somebody. He slipped in his earbuds as he followed the map, his music drowning out the city noises around him. The small waves of breeze felt nice as he walked, even though he wished he had brought a light jacket. He couldn't wait to get home to warmth. Hopefully Dave wasn’t too worried. He would probably call John a dork for missing the bus, and a fool for walking out alone at night. John knew it was all in fun, and he himself admitted he could be foolish and a dork. He kept his eyes down to his phone to follow the map, even though he knew he should be looking ahead to remember the way.

 

John walked past an alley, feeling a small chill, colder than the sporadic gusts of wind. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something move in the alley, getting a feeling he was being watched. He looked around. The streets seemed oddly empty. Had he taken a wrong turn? Was his phone glitching out? “Hello?” He called out. “Is..somebody there?”. He froze when in reply, he heard a soft giggle, turning to the sound. In front of him was what appeared to be a young woman with long black hair. A long coat hid most of her body as she looked back at him over her glasses.

 

“Hello… are you lost?” She asked him. “I don’t think I’ve seen you in these parts.” As she stepped closer, John felt the chill again as he backed up with each step she made towards him, unknowingly being lured into the alleyway,

“No I..I’m just on my way home.” John gulped, gripping his phone tighter. He didn’t notice the shadowy figures coming up behind him, waiting for the woman to give the command.

 

“Oh, dear boy. Why don’t I help you?”

 

“No that’s good thanks. I’ll..I’ll just be on my w-”

 

“Oh no no, please stay.” She hissed out. “I want to get to know you better…” She nodded to the figures, the one behind John gripping his shoulders to keep him in place as John tried to get away, his struggles no match for the figure’s odd strength. The woman stepped forward and  held John’s chin between her thumb and index finger and she smelled the air “You dear boy… you smell incredibly sweet.”  
  
“What..”

The other figures started to move in as she held up a hand. “Ah, ah ah. I found him, so I get first taste.” She slipped a hand into her pocket and pulled out a small switchblade, flipping up the blade and tilting John’s chin upwards with the flat end of the blade. 

 

Oh lord.. John thought. He was going to be mugged,or get his throat cut. He was probably going to die. He tried again to get away “I- I don’t have anything! P-please let me go!” He begged. The only reply he got was a sickening laugh from her.

 

“Oh no no..What you have aren’t any material possession or money or..whatever it is you mortals find valuable.”

 

Mortals..?

 

“What you have..is in you.” The woman grinned with sharp teeth as she flipped the blade sideways and slashed John across the cheek. John let out a scream of pain as the shock hit him. He could feel the blood trickling down his cheek, the moonlight hitting the blade and reflecting the blood on it. The woman brought it to her nose and inhaled, shuddering as her legs became weak. “So sweet..so tempting...I need to taste…” She looked at him with glowing eyes as she brought the blade down to her lips.

 

Before she could get a taste, she was kicked from behind by a flying figure. The woman hit the ground and the blade flew away. She growled as she turned to look at the figure. John looked up with blurred vision. The shock from being cut and the situation made his vision unclear. He could make out a tall figure with large black wings behind him. He saw two shining red dots glaring down to the woman.

 

“You don’t belong here.” The figure spoke. “Let him go and get out of here.”

 

The woman grinned and let out a soft giggle. “Oh come come now.” She stood, brushing off her coat. “Let me have my fun. This doesn’t concern you.” She sniffed, looking for her blade.  
  
“I’m not messing around, Vriska. Leave. Now.” The figure was more stern in his voice as he looked to John, being held in place by the evil minion to the one called Vriska. John’s legs trembled as the figure stepped closer. John squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for the figure to attack him. The next thing he knew he was on the ground, unhurt. He opened his eyes and looked behind him. The figure that had seized him was now pinned to the back wall by the winged figure. The winged one looked over his shoulder to John. “Run.” John was frozen as his body tried to process the command to run. The figure looked with more concern. “I got this, just get yourself out of here!”

 

John’s body finally processed to flee as he got up and ran. The winged man threw the thug to Vriska, who was now pinned to the ground as she struggled from underneath, desperate for her blade. The winged hero picked it up, flipping the blade back and took off down the street towards John. John looked behind him and saw the winged thing running towards him. John tried to let out a scream but his mouth couldn’t release the sound, increasing his speed. His feet suddenly were no longer making contact with the ground as he felt himself being lifted up. He looked back to see the winged one picking him up and soaring off into the sky. Before John could try to get away, the mysterious winged man held him closer, his voice soft

 

“Don’t worry. I’ve got you. You’re fine.”

 

John looked down to the shrinking ground below, feeling the blood rush as he became light headed from everything that had just happened. The figure held John’s head to his body. 

 

“Don’t look down.”

 

This was it now, John thought. He was going to be carried off to some lair and never heard from again. They’d find his body weeks later...if this thing left a body for them to find. The flight didn’t last long as he felt his feet make contact with solid ground again. He opened his eyes as the surroundings came into focus.He was...back home? The apartment? John looked behind him to see the winged man standing on the balcony’s railings. John was now able to get a better look. He indeed had large black wings feathered behind him, he had horns that weren’t very noticeable as they were pointed back behind him. His hair, though John couldn’t make out the color, had bangs that danced in front of his eyes. His eyes...they were so red, glowing like rubies or like fire. He looked to be quite tall with a toned body..the only way John could tell this was because he had no shirt on. John suddenly knew what was before him.

 

A demon.

 

“Are you alright?” The demon finally spoke, his voice was calm..charming. John tried to speak, feeling his body starting to catch up with the adrenaline that had been pumping through him. The voice became distorted and muffled as the scenery became a blur, John’s eyes rolled back as he fell to the ground with a thump. The demon sat on the railing and sighed. “Fainted..of course.” He gently picked up the fainted young man and opened the door to inside the apartment. He looked to the passed out Egbert. “When you wake up you should really lock that.” He gave a small laugh as he carried John inside.

 

                                                                                                                             ~~~

It was morning before John came to. He gasped as he sat up, looking around. He was alive, he was himself. He felt his cheek where the blade had cut him. There was a fresh bandage over the cut. He had no memory of doing that nor did he remember even getting home. He looked to his nightstand to see a glass of clear liquid with a note. He took a small drink, expecting it to be water. His lips were met with a fizzy citrus taste. John was confused as he set the glass back down and picked up the note

 

_ You passed out soon as we landed. Brought you inside. Tried to find clean water (Can’t trust city water you know) and all I found was some Sprite. That’s kinda like water isn’t it? I mean- it's clear and one of the main ingredients is technically water. Anyways, you had a pretty nasty cut. Cleaned that up for you so you didn’t bleed all over. Good things didn’t end up worse _

 

_ Try not to be out late alone again okay? If you are, you won’t have to worry- _

 

_ I’ll be around. _

John remembered- it must have been that demon that helped him. But, weren’t demons evil? Why would one help him? Maybe it was a rogue demon. That woman from the alley...Vriska, was she a demon? John’s head felt dizzy again with all the thoughts as he stood up, walking down the hall.

 

“Look who's finally vertical.” Dave said, looking at John from the couch. Dave! He would love to hear about this.

 

“Dave! You..you aren’t going to believe what happened last night!” John said, vaulting himself over the back of the couch and landing down on the cushions next to Strider. “So last night, I missed my bus and-”   


“And why did you miss the last bus of the night, young man?” Dave asked in a teasing tone.

“Irrelevant. Anyways! I started to walk home, when this girl she- she cornered me in the alley and these thugs grabbed me. I thought I was going to get mugged..or even die. But then, she kept saying I smelled sweet and she cut my cheek.” He pointed to his bandage. “She was really weird..she was smelling the blood on her blade and was saying she got first taste..I think she was a vampire. Then this winged creature, a demon...He..He just came out of nowhere and got me out of there. Then I was flying...and he brought me to the balcony but that’s..” He thought for a minute. “That’s all I remember. Then I just, woke up in my bed.” He looked over to Dave. “Did you hear anything last night?”

 

Dave shrugged. “Nah I was probably passed out. Thought i heard a door open but I just thought you got home late. Thought maybe you met a gal or something and were getting home late after…ya know. “He lightly slapped John’s arm.

 

“Very funny, Strider. You know I don’t have a girlfriend.” John said, sticking his tongue out. 

 

“Sorry, you were with your boyfriend then.”

 

“Dave”

 

“Oh his name’s Dave too? Cool.” Dave smirked. John laughed. “Dave come on, I don’t have a boyfriend. I’m not seeing anyone. You know that.”

 

“Yeah, just two single bros living together. That’s us”

 

John smiled, then looked at the floor. “Strange though. This demon looked so..human. I always thought they were more like monsters.”

 

                                                                                                                           ~~~

The demon watched as John slept, arm hung over the side of the bed, glasses folded on the nightstand. John Egbert was out, sleeping like a log. The noises of the city were muffled by the closed window. At least he was safe. The demon had been nearby when John was attacked the previous night. He knew Vriska was nearby and saw her corner John in the alley. He should’ve approached John first and offered to take him home. But that would’ve been too strange. He knew he should’ve intervened as soon as he saw her, maybe John wouldn’t of gotten cut. But, he knew if he intervened too quickly, Vriska could’ve commanded her goons to kill John right there. She knew his scent now though, and that put John in danger. The demon had to admit, his scent was incredibly sweet. But,Vriska didn’t get a taste. He knew John wouldn't of made it out alive if Vriska had gotten even the smallest taste. The demon’s red eyes glanced to the note he had left, now taped to the wall. 

 

When John had passed out after returning home, the demon had brought him in. He almost didn’t make it, the blood seeping out of the cut made his knees weak with the tantalizing scent. He set John in what looked to be his room and searched for a bandage. He gently wiped the blood from John’s face and stuck the bandage over. Good, that hid the scent at least a little bit. He also assumed John would hate getting blood all over. He looked at his hand, noticing the mortal’s blood on his fingers.Shit. Maybe just one small taste wouldn’t hurt...No. Even the smallest drop could make him lose his sense and hurt John. He took out a cloth from his pocket and wiped the blood off, remembering the blood on the blade and cleaning it of his blood. He’d probably give it back to Vriska...maybe. 

 

The demon searched the house for water to put beside John’s bedside- that was the hospitable thing to do wasn’t it? He couldn’t find a bottled water, and he knew if Vriska hadn’t killed him, the city water certainly would. He opened the fridge. Sprite- that was close to water..kinda.The demon could tell two bachelors lived here. The sort of bare fridge gave off that vibe. He left the note and glass by John’s bedside and was out, leaving no trace besides a couple feathers unknowingly, which Dave had cleaned up when he got up. Crows. As long as the claim that crows nested nearby was kept, the demon knew he was safe. Except, now John knew about demons. What if the young man tried to seek out the demon again, putting himself in more danger just to see him. The demon assumed he wasn’t like some dumb damsel who’d throw themself off a cliff just to see their vampire boyfriend, he was sure John was smarter than that. But what if he went out late again, searching the city for him? What other demons were out there. Vriska was dangerous, but many others were just as threatening.

 

And then there was... _ him _ , the one demon who he hoped John would never encounter…

 

The demon watched over John for a bit longer before flying downwards, sneaking in through a fourth story window and wandering the building for a while.

 

He vowed to himself to keep John Egbert safe.

 


	3. Chapter 3

“So is this your new boyfriend you told me about?”

 

“W-what?!” John stammered, quickly covering the sketch he was making. Ever since he was young, he would sketch out the different supernatural things that he witnessed. When he was younger he swore he had seen his paternal grandpa, who passed away before he was born, only knowing what he looked like through photos. He hadn’t noticed Dave peering over his shoulder to see him sketching the demon he had seen only last week. This demon was different though, there was something about him that sparked an interest in John. He was trying to think of ways to see him again-without getting himself killed. Maybe summoning could work- no, that won’t guarantee he’d get the same demon. Also all that conjuring and summoning stuff was dangerous. Sure he had a ouija board but that was used sparingly. But in a place like this it would be perfect. His thoughts were interrupted by Dave sliding out the book from under John’s arm and looking at the sketch of the demon.

 

“You’re pretty good at detail John, especially that chest of his.” Dave said teasingly, holding the book up just out of John’s reach. “He looks like a nice piece to look at. No wonder you like him.”

“D-Dave!! Its not like that!” John nervously replied, cheeks flushing as he tried to grab the sketchbook. Dave jumped up on the couch’s back and crouched like a cat with the book in the air.

 

“Oh admit it, you just wanna see your hot demon boyfriend again, huh?” Dave smirked. “I bet you wanna take another night flight with him and his hot shirtless bod.”

 

“Dave no!!” John laughed. He wasn’t really mad about Dave taking the sketchbook now. He was too flustered and laughing to even care. He kept trying to grab it as Dave playfully kept it out of his reach. Dave took great fun in taking his height for advantage, usually stealing something of John’s and keeping it out of the shorter man’s reach.

 

“Admit your feelings for him and I’ll give it back.”

 

“Dave I only met him once”

 

“Some people only need one meeting to get attracted to someone.”

 

“Daaaave!!” John tried to balance onto the couch with Dave to reach. He lost his footing and fell forward onto the couch, bringing Dave down with him. The two laughed like old friends as Dave kept the book still out of reach. The two settled their laughing and locked eyes, or more, eyes and shades. John gulped as he looked down at Dave, holding himself up and basically pinning Dave to the couch. He never noticed how pale Dave’s skin was, his light blonde hair falling over his face as his shades covered his eyes, looking back at him. He eagerly wanted to push the bangs from his face, or at least finally see his eyes with no shades on, but Dave seemed to insist to wear them all the time. John saw a touch of red paint Dave’s cheeks as the two quietly looked at each other. Or at least if would be quiet without John’s rapid heartbeat deafening him.

 

Dave’s heart was beating just as face as he looked into John’s shining blue eyes. They were like gleaming sapphires. He was too nervous to admit he was getting a small crush on John. He was always just so sure of himself and ready to dive headfirst into anything, not to mention Dave found him cute. They had only been living together for a few months now, but Dave was feeling something he hadn’t felt before. He was too nervous to admit he was worried when John hadn’t come home the night he encountered the demons the week before. Dave had noticed when the bus pulled up and John hadn’t gotten off. But he didn’t want to come off as some stalkery roomate. He was sure John was okay. But he was wrong. He felt a small amount of guilt. He could’ve met John where he was- Dave knew this city better. He also knew about demons himself. He had encountered some before. He was too busy in his thoughts to notice John reach over him and grab the book back. He sat up as John playfully stuck his tongue out to Dave as he went back to his sketching. Dave sat up, leaning on the couch armrest

 

“So you’re curious about demons huh?”

 

“I mean, sure. One helped me...I thought demons didn’t like humans or just wanted to kill them, like those things from the alley.”

 

“You know..there’s rumors a demon lives here. That’s what freaks out all the people who tried coming in here before. They claimed they saw a demon.”

 

“Seriously?! Was that what you were teasing me about?!” John’s voice was getting more excited. A real demon in the apartment?!

 

“Yeah, let’s just hope it’s your boyfriend.”  
  
“D-Dave!!”

 

~~~

 

A few nights later, John and Dave were walking around the different floors of the dilapidated building. Dust collected over the door frames and old wall lights. The floorboards underneath them creaked with each step. The place was too old for even the spiders and rats. The abandoned cobwebs hung in the corners, the only light to illuminate were their flashlights and the moonlight that shined through the windows.  John had a small bag hung over his shoulder, with his sketchbook, spare batteries, camera, camcorder, and his ouija board just in case.If they couldn’t find the demon, there was for sure a spirit around here. He was more eager to see the demon again, he hadn’t gotten a chance to thank him for saving him about two weeks ago. He also needed a better look to make sure his sketches were right.He hoped Dave knew where they were going. They started on their floor and were making their way down floor by floor,only on floor ten so far.

 

“..So then, they realize that Dana was possessed by Zuul, who is the gatekeeper to the spirit world” John explained to Dave. “Zuul and her counterpart, Vinz- the keymaster, possessed humans to complete a ritual to awaken their master, Gozer.” John was going on about Ghostbusters. Dave smiled, finding it cute how John seemed so passionate about the paranormal and any media that involved it. Dave noticed how expressive John would get, becoming more and more animated in his stories.

 

“Yeah, that was a pretty sick movie. I remember when it came out. They were almost forced to call it something different since the name was already used before.”

 

“That’s right! It was going to be called Ghost Breakers and- wait, you remember when it came out.”

 

Shit. “Uh...aren’t we talking about the one that just came out a couple years ago.”

 

“No, Dave. I was talking about the first one, from over thirty years ago.”

 

“Oh THAT one. Nah, I..wasn’t around for that one duh.” Dave corrected himself. John seemed to shrug it off. Easy mistake. He looked around. No sign of the demon yet. Hopefully John didn’t want to give it up yet. Though, he kind of wished John would show a little fear, any excuse to get closer to him. Dave certainly couldn’t be the one to be afraid- he had an image to keep up. More importantly, he didn’t want John to see him as weak...not that he thought John was weak at all. “So uh, seeing anyone yet?”

 

“What?”

 

“Just wondering. You’ve been in the city long enough. Figured a guy like you would find someone”. Dave shrugged, hands in his pockets.

 

“Dave, I’m always home. Besides, you’d be the first to know if I had met someone”

 

“I would?”  


“Sure. Why wouldn’t you be?’” John smiled at him. That cute, slightly overbite, dorky smile that made Dave’s heart beat faster. “Anyways, I never see you with anyone- are _you_ seeing anyone?”

 

“Nah. I don’t get out much so that makes it harder.” Dave looked down as they walked the creaky halls. “But I really don’t mind”He shrugged. “I’ve got you around.” That was true, Dave didn't’ leave the apartment often it seemed. Of course buying groceries was one thing, but he preferred to stay in. John thought he heard movement very late at night after he was already turned in, but he assumed it was Dave just wandering or getting up to get something. “Besides, why ruin what you and I got by involving someone else? Like if I met someone and they didn’t like ya, well then they aren’t worth having around...Ya get me?”

 

John nodded. He did get him. If he ever met a guy- or girl, and they didn’t approve of Dave, then why keep them around?  
  
“Also, I trust your judgement” Dave continued. “If I brought someone around and you didn’t like them, then I guess I just would have to keep looking” And he meant that. Dave looked outside at the moon shining outside, then over to Jonn, who was busy looking all over to try and catch a glimpse of a ghost or any other supernatural visitor. “Hey uh, I gotta go back to the room real quick.”

 

“What? What if you miss something?”

“John, the only working bathroom in this place is in our room, and I gotta take a whiz. Pretty sure ghosts don’t wanna be around a guy smelling like urine. And I’m sure you don’t either.”

 

“But what if something happens?”

 

“Just yell for me and I’ll be running down here with my pants around my ankles..or no pants- might lose them along the way.”

 

John’s face went red at that thought. “ I uh...sure go ahead.” He watched Dave take off for the elevators as he decided to continue forth, shining his flashlight over everything. He hoped Dave didn’t miss any of this. Man, Dave was lucky. He probably already had his fair share of paranormal encounters. John wondered why it took so long for Dave to tell him. Probably didn’t want to scare him off. Or, since he knew about John’s love for the unknown almost right away, maybe he was just waiting for the right time. John’s thoughts wandered back to the demon, especially those eyes. Red like fire,red like the ripest strawberry, red like-

 

“Well hey there Mr. Fainter.”

 

John quickly turned around, shining his flashlight into the face of the demon, the light reflecting off the red eyes. The demon yelled in surprise and fell onto his back, feathers flying all over. John gasped and turned his flashlight down to his feet. It was him. The demon sat up and groaned, rubbing his head as his wings ruffled.

 

“Damn. You can really startle a demon can’t you. Since you’re all by yourself exploring, thought you’d be interested in this sorta thing.”

 

“Oh I- I uh..I’m not alone.”

 

“Well I mean, now that I’m here you aren’t.” The demon stood fully, his wings falling back behind him.He was just as tall as John remembered him to be. His red eyes glowed in the dim hallway as he looked to John. “You know I never got your name.”

 

“Oh its..John. John Egbert”

 

“John...nice.” The demon smiled to him. John knew he should’ve been afraid, but something was keeping him from being worried. Something about this demon was reassuring. John felt safe around him. After all, if he meant any harm, he would’ve killed John as soon as he had the chance, which there seemed to be many that night.

 

“Wait uhm..What’s your name?” John asked. The demon smiled and hovered in the air on his back, his wings gently flapping in place  to keep him up, giving a small brush of cool air towards John.

 

“I go by many..thought nobody’ really asked my name before. “He smiled slyly ,flipping onto his stomach in the air and floating towards John. “You must be very interested in me.”

 

“Well I- I mean I am curious. Also I want to tell Dave in case he-”   


“Dave? You mean Dave Strider?”

 

“Yeah! He’s my roommate. Do you know him?”

 

The demon shrugged and flipped back onto his back, lounging mid-air and closing his eyes. “Yeah, seen him around. Strider’s an odd fellow I’ll tell you that. But he minds his own business when it comes to seeing us supernatural forces, so we just leave him alone.” He opened an eye towards John. “He left you here alone didn’t he?”  


“No..Well he- had to run back to the apartment. He’ll be back.”

 

“Well how about I keep you company until he comes back?” The demon offered. John thought. It sure was taking a while for Dave. Maybe he really had to go. Maybe he didn’t make it back. John hoped he was feeling okay. Maybe he wasn’t feeling good. He wanted to go back to the apartment to check on him, but what if the demon left?  The demon smiled and flipped back to John, gently holding his chin with his fingertips. “You’re curious about me, aren’t you?” He smiled as John stammered with a tint of red on his cheeks. Cute. “ You aren’t so bad for a mortal you know. From what I’ve seen of you.”

 

“Huh… but we haven’t seen each other since-”

 

“I’ve been watching you John. See, after getting you away from Vriska, I became curious about you. Mortals always fascinated me. But you, there was just something different. So I made my my duty to watch over you. Now that Serket knows of your scent, other demons might be looking for you.” The demon frowned. “And that’s something I can’t let happen.”

 

“My...scent?”

 

“You have incredibly sweet smelling blood, which in theory means your blood would also taste sweet. Demons don’t find that often.” He made a face. “Usually mortals blood doesn’t smell so pleasant, but some demons don’t care- blood is blood.” He looked down. “I got a whiff of your blood myself, I can smell it now, though the smell is stronger when the blood is open, like after a wound. He ran a thumb over John’s small scar from Vriska’s blade. “That’s healing nicely.”

 

John backed up, knees shaking. “You...aren’t going to..” He lightly felt his throat, assuming that’s where demons struck. The demon landed on his feet and held up a hand.

 

“No, I’m doing all I can to resist the urge.I’m not going to take your blood.” The demon's hand shook as it was raised. John was tempting, and staying in his presence for so long was making it hard to resist. He looked to the moonlight. “I better get going. You better go check on Strider.”

 

“Already? But how will I-”

 

“If you’d like to meet again, I don’t suggest putting yourself in danger like some kinda Twilight shit. I usually roam around at night. Around here. Just come looking whenever you wanna talk, alright?” And with that, he was out the window into the night. John ran over and looked, only seeing feathers flutter down. He smiled. If only Dave had seen this-

 

Dave.

 

_He still hadn’t come back._

 

“Dave?!” Dave!” John yelled, running as fast as he could back up to the apartment. Right as he opened the door frantically, He ran into Dave.”

 

“Yikes John, you get spooked or something?”

 

“Dave! I-I was getting worried you..you didn’t come back. I saw him! I- saw the demon.”

 

“You did? Ah shit, sorry I missed it. I got back up here and just started feeling ill, ya know?”

 

“What? Dave I’m sorry I wasn’t here I-” John was interrupted by Dave’s fingertips lightly touching his lips.

 

“Don’t worry about me. You got to see your paranormal stuff.” He smiled. “Shame I didn’t get to see you get all excited. It’s cute.”

 

“D-Dave…”

 

Dave gave a small laugh as he shrugged, flopping down onto the couch. “So how was it?”

 

John proceeded to tell Dave everything. Dave watched as John’s body language got more expressive as he was clearly in excitement over seeing a demon again, and having an encounter this time that was positive and not making him in fear of his life. Dave closed his eyes in rest as John went on.

 

~~~

 

Vriska was watching over the mortal world from a rooftop when she spied the demon leaving the apartment building from the window after meeting with John. She smirked. There he was again. She quietly flew near the building and took a whiff, licking her lips. It was _him._ The sweet-smelling mortal.The building was so decrepit looking, no mortal could possibly survive in it. Maybe they agreed to meet here. But, she wasn’t going to wait around for him to leave the building and follow him home for a taste. She flew back up to the rooftops and looked over to her minions that stood nearby.

 

“We’ll be heading back. Alert his majesty that I will be needing a word with him.” She smirked toward the building. “I’ve got some information he will want."


	4. Chapter 4

_ “Why does this world interest you so much little brother?” _

 

_ The demon looked back to the elder one before turning his attention back to the city’s skyline as the moon hung high. He sat on the high rooftop with his knees under his chin. _

 

_ “Mortals fascinate me.” The younger one responded. “They go about their lives without a care it seems like. They just..survive.” He let one of his legs hang over the edge as his arm rested on his raised knee. The humans were indeed fascinating to him. Nothing like demons it seemed. Appearance wise all demons really were were humans with wings, a tail, and horns. Of course other demons looked different from humans other than those three features, but a majority of demons he knew could easily live among mortals- though very few did for long. They mainly did so just to trick the mortals into becoming their next meals. Himself? He didn’t really care for mortal blood. Tempting? Yes. But he found other ways to survive. He thought of it more as a delicacy-something to have only every now and then. _

 

_ “But they’re worth nothing to us.” The elder demon scowled. “Nothing except food.” He stepped to the ledge of the rooftop and looked down, taking an inhale. “And none of them even smell worth it. Why exhaust ourselves with these creatures for sub-par tasting blood?” He looked over to his younger brother. “They’d never accept you here anyways. And if the other demons knew you chose to be here , they wouldn’t accept you either.” The older brother smirked “Not like they should have to accept you anyways. I’m not so sure I like you that much myself.” _

 

_ “We don’t have to kill mortals you know.” The younger one said flatly, ignoring his brother’s remark. “We have other ways to survive. We did before we started learning about mortal blood.” _

 

_ “But what’s the fun in that? Besides, we are demons, little brother. It’s what we do.” The elder brother sat next to the younger one, maintaining a distance. Whatever his little brother had that made him seem to pity the mortals, he didn’t want to catch it. He loved to see suffering. “It’s not like you’re planning to get close to one, are you?” He smirked. “You know that’s impossible. You’d outlive them and just be alone again...or you’d eventually kill them. It’s in your blood, little brother.” He stood, growing tired of being among mortals, even if he was several stories above them. The smell was starting to get nauseating. The elder demon sprouted his feathery wings out, much larger than his brother’s wings in wing span. Where his brother had more crow like wings, his were much like a raven’s.  He glanced over to the younger demon sitting on the ledge. “But you were never like us to begin with. Not like how you were raised at all.” And with that, the older demon took off into the sky. _

 

~~~

 

“Dave..? Dave you there?”

 

Dave glanced over. “Sorry. I spaced out. You say something?”

 

“I was asking if you wanted to come with me to see the demon tonight.” John leaned over on the back of the couch to where Dave was. He had been going back to see the demon for the past two weeks, and Dave hadn’t come. Or if he did, he always had to run and do something right before the demon appeared. It was strange- maybe Dave and this demon had a bad history? The demon did know Dave by name, but never explicitly said to John what their standing was other than Dave left demons alone, so they did likewise. 

 

“Nah, I’ll let you and your boyfriend have some alone time.” Dave smirked to John.

 

“Dave he’s not my boyfriend!” John protested. “I..I don’t even know if I like guys.”

 

This got Dave’s attention as he sat up. Shit shit shit...This was bad. “So you like girls?”

 

“Well..I really don’t know.” John climbed over the couch and sat next to Dave. “See, I’ve never really been sure what I like. I find some girls cute..but then I find guys cute at times too. More recently I’ve been finding a guy cute but I don’t know if I like him in... _ that _ way.” John said. “You know...sexually.”

 

“You find a guy cute?” Dave perked up. “But you just said-”   
  


“I know but, isn’t that what being gay or straight or bi or whatever is? You find a group of people cute but then you also want to have sex with them?” John looked down. “It makes me feel weird since I never felt that way.”

 

“Aye come on man, sex isn’t everything.” Dave shrugged, putting his hand on John’s shoulder. “Pretty sure all those labels are just attraction based. You find a guy and girl cute- congrats, you’re bi..or pan...or whatever. You like girls only? You’re straight. But you’re finding a guy cute. Like, dateable cute?”

 

“Well sure. Dateable cute.”

 

“Then that’s gay.”

 

“But what about finding girls cute?”

 

“You want to date any?”

 

“Maybe...if I met the right one.”

 

“Then you’re bi.” Dave leaned back. “But labels can suck, man.I just say like whoever the shit you want and don’t be a dick about who other people like.” Dave smiled. “Now, tell me about this guy you wanna date...It’s the demon isn’t it?”

 

“N-no..” John’s cheeks burned.

 

“It is. You want that hot demon body.”

 

“DAVE!”

 

~~~

 

John sat on the rooftop of the building, away from the ledge. This was a strange place to meet, as John was afraid of heights. Being on the top floor was enough for him, but now he was out in the open, the highest he could get, with no walls to block him from falling to the ground below. Where was he? John felt guilty- he’d known about this demon for over a month now, and had been meeting him regularly for two weeks..yet he still didn’t know the demon’s name. The demon seemed to avoid this topic or change it whenever John asked. Maybe he didn’t have a name? That was normal for demons..wasn’t it? That one from the alley, Vriska, of course had a name. But, he was basing the judgement just on the two demons he had encountered. John pulled out his sketchbook and continued to make his sketches. He had dedicated this sketchbook to the demon.The demon had almost become like a muse for John, as he found himself sketching him constantly. He never wanted to admit it, but he had a different sketchbook where Dave was his muse. Mainly for just the weird poses Dave would make or the awkward ways he sit, but John would die if Dave ever found out John was pretty much making fanart of him. Of course John never went sexual with this-since he was his best friend and that would just be so weird.

 

“Oh hell yeah. Fanart.” A voice spoke behind him. John yelped in surprise and turned quickly. The demon floated on his stomach giving a smug smile to him as John picked up his book and dusted himself off. “Never been a muse before. It’s flattering.”

 

“I uh…” John cleared his throat. “ I just..like to draw the paranormal. And you’re the most recent one I’ve seen...and the most frequent.” John rubbed the back of his head nervously, avoiding the gaze of the demon floating before him. The demon just smiled at the shy young man before him.”So why are we up here anyways?”

 

The demon flipped to his feet and softly landed, his wings retracting to behind him as he walked past John. “I like it up here.” He said, overlooking the city. “I like to just watch the mortals and the nightlife.”

 

“You can see them from all the way up here?” John asked. “Your eyesight must be good. Or is it a demon thing?”

 

“The demon smiled and shook his head. “Nah, demons don’t have that kind of eyesight. However, we can smell them from up here.” He sat on the ledge. John wasn’t about to dangle his feet over the ledge like that. He sat on his knees beside the demon, but back a few ways from being right beside him.

 

“What do they smell like?”

 

“Mortals. But, all I can really smell at the moment is you.” The demon looked back and held John’s chin gently between his thumb and index finger.” Your blood is overpowering all their scents. Partly because you’re right next to me, but mainly because of how sweet it smells.”

 

John’s cheeks flushed at how close his face was to the demon’s. The demon lightly touched his cheek and smiled softly. “Shame one of these mortals hasn’t claimed you as their significant other. Or have things changed since we last spoke?”

 

“W-well no.. it was only yesterday.”

 

“I don’t know shit about mortal relationships really. Some mortals seem to hook up within hours of meeting.” The demon shrugged, keeping his hand on John’s cheek. “Thought maybe you met a nice girl.”

 

“Well I.. like someone..I think. But, they’re not a girl.”

 

“Oh? So you’ve met a guy? How nice.”

 

“Well I didn’t just meet him. I’ve known him for a while.” John looked downwards, away from the demon’s gaze. “But recently I..think I’ve been having feelings for him. But it’s weird because I never felt like this for another guy..or really anybody.”

 

“Why don’t you tell him?” The demon asked, taking his other hand to John’s other cheek to gently turn his head back to lock eyes. “Maybe he likes you back?”   
  


“No I.. don’t think I’m his type. He seems out of my league.”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

John’s heart began to beat faster as the demon smiled at him, shining red eyes looking into his deep blue eyes. He suddenly felt a chill. Not like the chill he had been feeling, but it was familiar…

 

The demon’s eyebrows furrowed in question as he smelled, pulling John closer as he looked around. Something wasn’t right. They were being watched.

 

John suddenly screamed in pain as something pierced his back. The demon looked to see an arrow stuck into the mortal’s back. “SHIT! JOHN!” The demon yelled in worry, holding the mortal up as he slumped over in pain. He felt a wet spot on his hand as the demon withdrew his hand from John’s back.

 

Blood.

 

The demon’s eyes glowed as his hand shook. This wasn’t good. He searched around to see where it had come from, looking up to see Vriska hovering in the air above them with another demon, bow in hand.

 

“You dumb shit! You missed!” Vriska scowled at the demon, punching his arm, pointing to the demon holding John to him. ‘You were supposed to hit  _ him _ !” She smirked down. “But, hitting the mortal is good. His blood has been drawn.” She took in a deep inhale and smiled.

 

The demon picked up John, holding him close to his body and dove off the building edge, wings spouting out as he took off, Vriska and the bow-wielding demon in pursuit. He had to get John out of here. John held on, still conscious but in pain. He could feel blood trickling down his back as blood began to soak his shirt. The demon was struggling to fly as the sweet liquid gave off its rich scent. He had to push it aside, the temptation was hindering getting them away from Vriska. He flew faster, dodging the arrows.Two demons blocked his way as he screeched to a halt. Vriska smirked as she slowly flew towards him, “It doesn’t have to end this way.” She growled. “Hand over the mortal and we’ll leave you be.”

 

“Hell no.”

 

Vriska’s eyebrows furrowed. “Then you’re both dying it seems.” One of the demon minions struck the demon across his back as he let out a yell of pain. John looked in worry as they started to fall, holding onto the demon tighter. The demon held John closer as he struggled to fly. Vriska held up a hand to keep the demons from pursuing. “Give them some time… they won’t be getting far. All we have to do is track their scents. Once he lands he’ll be too weak to go any further.” She smirked. “Once he’s fallen, we take them both back. His majesty will be pleased. Returning a rogue demon and a fresh mortal will be more than enough.” She eyed to where she assumed they land and waited. She heard a crashing sound and smiled, her sharp teeth flashing. “There.” She pointed to an alleyway. The group landed and searched the alley. 

 

“Impossible!” She hissed. “They’re...they’re gone! How?!” She heard another crash sound as she looked ahead. Her minions groaned as an alley dumpster had been knocked over onto them. “Get up, idiots! She yelled. “You let him esca-” Her voice was cut off as she was struck from behind, knocking her out.

 

The demon stood over her, wielding a crowbar he had found in the alley. That would keep her out, for now, tossing it aside with a clatter. He set Vriska’s switchblade from the previous month near her. He made sure every drop of blood was cleaned from it. Even the smallest drop could be dangerous. He groaned as he flew back to the rooftops where he had placed John, kneeling beside the wounded mortal. “John...You..okay?” He struggled, the claw marks against his back bled. He was more concerned on John’s injury. It didn’t make sense. Why was Vriska set on striking the demon with the arrow? Unless..

 

Unless she had poisoned it. 

 

He knew what poison she liked to use, the sadistic sack of shit she was. While it wasn’t fatal to mortals, or even affect them, it still meant there was an arrow stuck in his back, which as far as he knew could indeed be fatal. John only winced as he struggled to keep himself up, his arms shaking from the weight. The demon looked over the arrow. It seemed to not be too deep in luckily. But, if there was poison on it, the demon couldn’t risk pulling it out. The arrowhead was also what was keeping John’s blood in. Pulling it out could kill him. He had to get John back home. There would probably be more demons coming. John’s sweet scent was now overpowering to a point where the demon couldn’t think straight. 

 

“Is it bad?” John asked, groaning. He caught a glimpse of the demon’s bleeding back. “Holy shit…”

 

The demon waved off John’s worry. “I’’l be fine. We demons..” he groaned “we demons can heal from this kinda stuff. I just have to get you out of here before Vriska comes to or more demons come looking.” With hope, Vriska hadn’t mentioned John to.. His thoughts were cut off by John groaning in pain. The demon picked him up carefully and spread his wings as he took off towards the apartment.

 

John was going in and out of blacking out. While he knew there was an arrow stuck in his back, he was worried for the demon a bit more. What if he was too injured to escape and the demons got him? Or if he was hurt, he could become too weak to defend himself and other humans could come by and...he didn’t want to think about what could happen. He barely knew where he was when the demon landed and gently set him down. He only knew he was home by hearing Dave’s voice.

 

“Hey what the hell- oh lord… what happened?! HEY! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING?! ANSWER ME! OH LORD JOHN! SHIT! JOHN You’re gonna b...ka..Sta..ith me.....Jo…”

 

~~~

It was still dark out when John came to in his bed. He was alive. John sat up too quickly  as he winced at the pain in his back. His shirt was off, probably thrown in the wash as his body was bandaged, around his chest and over his shoulder. Seemed to be a lot of bandage for whatever happened to him. All he could remember was a sharp pain in the back. He also remembered that the demon had been slashed across the back. Was he here? John heard a small sound, like a snore. John fumbled for his glasses on the table, seeing Dave sitting on his bed,head drooped down in sleep.

 

“Dave?”

 

The albino blonde shot up quickly, looking over. “John???” John couldn’t see his eyes, but he could hear the sound of worry and relief in Dave’s voice. He hugged John as his voice shook. “I..I was scared man. You came back in bad...bad shape..Shit man, I was sca-..I was worried I was going to lose you man…” 

Dave Strider...scared? Damn, John Egbert didn’t think that was possible. Dave pulled away for a moment and turned his head away from John, wiping his eyes. He couldn’t let John see he was crying. He was scared. John with an arrow in his back, blood all over? Of course he was scared. The arrow was a bit tricky to pull out, wrapped up in a towel to the side. John’s shirt was ripped and stained in blood. Dave was shaky the entire time from the blood and the fact John was unconscious with a wound. He managed to clean up well and get John into his bed.The entire time Dave’ back was killing him. John took a small notice as Dave winced when he had looked away.

 

“Dave are you okay? You..look in pain.”   
  


“I...slept wrong. Back’s killing me.” Dave looked over. “Also not used to sleeping sitting up.”

 

“You’ve been here this entire time?

 

“Someone had to look after you. The demon dropped you here and took off. He looked pretty roughed up.”

 

John figured he probably had to get out of there just in case other demons tracked them. But, John hoped he got to safety. He wasn’t sure why he was so concerned. John felt the demon was a friend.. But these feelings felt like something felt for someone more than a friend. Was it possible? Was it even right?

 

But right now, he had to worry about Dave. He reached his hand over to place on Dave’s shoulder. “Dave, you should lie down and get some sleep. I’ll be fine.”\

 

Dave shook his head. “No, what if you-”

 

“Dave. Really. Rest.” John said, scooting over on his bed. “You can sleep here if you want.”

 

“...With you?” Dave’s heart was beating fast. The thought of laying next to John...it made his heart race.

 

“Sure why not?” John’s heart beat fast like Dave’s. The thought of laying with his best friend was nice, comforting. But, Dave was...well..Dave.

 

“I..alright man. I just don’t want to hurt you. Because you know..you had an arrow in you.”

 

“Nah, I’ll be okay. I know you wouldn’t hurt me. “John smiled as Dave carefully moved next to him, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. John smiled, lightly brushing Dave’s bangs. He wanted to remove those silly shades, but Dave seemed attached to them- he didn’t dare touch them. John rested against him and drifted back into sleep, a calm feeling coming over him.

 

Dave opened his eyes halfway, checking if Egbert was asleep. His breathing was steady and relaxed. Dave carefully removed his square-framed glasses, reaching over the sleeping young man and setting them back on the table. He sighed as he watched John sleep, gently brushing the hair out of his eyes. John’s words echoed in his head.

 

_ “I know you wouldn’t hurt me…” _

 

Dave rested his forehead onto John’s as he whispered “Lord I hope you’re right John…”

 

~~~

“IDIOTS” Vriska yelled, pacing back and forth back in the demon’s realm. “ I could’ve gotten that rogue if it weren’t for those shit idiots!” She grumbled. They almost had that mortal and demon. She pulled out her switchblade, growling at the cleaned blade. He had made very sure she wasn’t going to get a taste. Before she put the blade back, she caught a whiff. Curious, she sniffed the blade, smiling evilly.

He may have cleaned the blood off.. But the scent was still there. Tasting the blade would be pointless, but the scent lingered on it. This was great.

 

“Vriska?” A demon poking his head into the room. “The prince wishes to see you. You had asked for an audience with him.”

 

She looked back. “Oh yeah.. Right.” She flipped the blade down as she walked down the hall to the throne room. The prince sat bordely on his throne, giving a less than enthused look  to the demoness walking in.

 

“What is it, Serket? I’m quite busy today.” The royal grumbled, picking a piece of lint off his wings. “Make it quick.” The royal was now fond of company like this. Usually Serket only came by to gloat or to try and convince him to give her a royal title, knowing she’d work her way up to taking the throne from him. Of course that couldn’t happen, but Vriska was known to do many things. She already had an unofficial title as a royal spy, to venture to the mortal world and scout for any activity, such as demons siding with mortals or doing anything against the realm’s laws. Most of the reports she brought back would only later turn out to be false, as she would bring demons with her, and manipulate them into rebellion, then turn around and report them.

 

“Your highness.” Vriska bowed, “I have some information from the mortal world you will be quite interested in. There is a certain mortal who-”

 

The prince waved her off. “If it is boring mortal news, I don’t want to hear.” He said. “Mortals bore me.”

 

“But it's about who the mortal is associated with...a certain rogue demon.”

 

The prince looked over to her. “You have my interest.” He held his chin between his thumb and index finger, his finger poking into his cheek as his elbow rested on the throne armrest. “Speak up.”

 

“A certain rogue demon appears to be guarding a mortal from other demons.. I believe this is why.” She placed her switchblade onto a pillow as it was carried up to the prince’s throne. He put on a glove and picked up the blade- he could never be too sure- and flipped up the blade. A smell hit his nose as his pupils constricted, growing smaller as his body tensed. That smell.. He frantically searched the blade for any drop of blood to lap up.

 

“What is this scent?” He asked Vriska. An evil smirk grew on her face. “The mortal.”

 

“What do you know about him?”

 

“His name is John.”

 

“...John what?”

 

Vriska stopped. “I..I don’t know his surname.”

 

“Damn Serket! You know how many mortals are named ‘John’?! Pretty sure that’s the most common name of them!”

 

“Look, your highness. I would find out more if it weren’t for that blasted demon.”

 

The prince stood, placing the blade back onto the pillow to return to Vriska. “Thank you Serket. That will be all.”

 

Once Vriska left, the demon prince smiled. “Perhaps I should visit that filthy world once more…”

  
  
  


“


End file.
